You have most likely heard the saying, “you will reap what you sow".
I have seen this repeatedly in my own life. Unfortunately, many people use this phrase when thy refer to negative choices. When you make a mistake or choose to do wrong, there will always be someone there to remind you that you will “reap what you have sown.” However, this principle of sowing and reaping applies to good things, too.
You may be investing in your family and relationships and feeling like you are not gaining any ground. All your efforts seem to be in vain. The struggle is tiring and discouraging when you do not see any results of your hard work. But do not lose hope; your work will produce a return in time. Just because you do not see the results immediately does not mean that change is not taking place. Change takes time.
The best example I have of reaping what I have sown in my garden planting.
I love to work in my garden. It is hard work to plow the earth, plant the seeds, keep the weeds out, and harvest the vegetables. The sense of fulfillment I get from reaping the spoils of my hard work is worth the effort! It makes sense to me that it will produce what it is designed to become when I plant a seed. This year, I got a big surprise!
Last year we had a very poor harvest of tomatoes.
We had planted 5 rows of tomatoes, but we only had a handful of ripe tomatoes by the end of the growing season. This outcome disappointed us. It took an equal amount of effort to get a small harvest as it had taken to reap a big crop in previous years. We knew we did not want to experience the disappointment again, so we decided to convert that part of the garden into a strawberry patch and plant tomatoes somewhere else. Strawberries must be produced for 2 seasons before being harvested, so we knew we would not get strawberries this summer. Our efforts to sow the plants this year would not be rewarded until next year. We were in for a big surprise!
Instead of budding strawberry plants, healthy tomato plants began to sprout up. We decided to let these plants grow to see what would happen. The plants grew, matured, and became heavy with perfect, ripe tomatoes. A LOT OF TOMATOES. More tomatoes than we had ever produced in our garden. Bushels and bushels of tomatoes! We reaped the fruit of our labor, but it was not what we expected to grow, nor when we expected to reap it.
This experience brought to our minds the many times we have reaped unexpectedly in our lives.
You are working hard to keep your family together. Do not give up when you do not see improvements. The foundation is being built, and you will see the impact of your labor. As you toil to rebuild your legacy and change your destiny, you will face many disappointments. The harvest may not come as expected, but do not stop investing in a better life. You will gather beautiful memories, life lessons, and experiences along the way that will prepare you for success.
You will reap what you have sown. Choose each day carefully what you are planting in your life. The return on your investment may come years later, but it will be worth every tear and drop of sweat if you do not give up on your dream of a better life.
I am rooting for you!
Cathy